Question Documents folder is Read Only. Can't change it back

[Alligin]

I'm stumped I recently found my documents folder is now read only.

I can't change it back. I've followed lots of suggestions found on other sites. sometimes the options I need to change are greyed out. Possibly by my antivirus Bitdefeder Total security. I've tried temp disable of Bitdefender. Then un checking read only. That gives a long list of The attribs of this file cannot be changed etc.

I'm now trying to change the folder using the CMD lines of attrib -r +s drive: <path><foldername>
I set CMD to administrator and type the following attrib -r +s drive: E documents And get parameter format not correct. What am I missing. Years ago I used to know my way around this sort of thing but I'm out of practice.
Some utility's now no longer work as they need access to files they place in documents folder.

My E drive is a separate drive from C Windows and my Documents folder lives directly on the E drive.

Any Ideas please?
Thanks Alligin.

 

[rgd1101]

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/attrib

 attrib -r +s E:\documents

if there a space in the folder

 attrib -r +s "E:\documents something"

 

[Colif]

Every folder on win 10 is read only. its not just documents. It has been like that for 5 years at least. I discovered it back then.

It shouldn't matter though as you should have the permissions to open and interact with them.

So changing folder settings isn't the answer, the answer is something is wrong with your users permissions if you can't use them while they are read only.

 

[Alligin]

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/attrib

 attrib -r +s E:\documents

if there a space in the folder

 attrib -r +s "E:\documents something"

Tried that command = Access denied - E:| MY Documents

 

[USAFRet]

My E drive is a separate drive from C Windows and my Documents folder lives directly on the E drive.

What specific steps did you take to do this?

Are you actually having issues saving to that location?

 

[Alligin]

Which makes me think it's permissions . As Colif mentioned. Problem is if I try and change permission they are greyed out.

 

[Colif]

How did you move your documents folder? I am repeating Usafret

 

[Alligin]

Every folder on win 10 is read only. its not just documents. It has been like that for 5 years at least. I discovered it back then.

It shouldn't matter though as you should have the permissions to open and interact with them.

So changing folder settings isn't the answer, the answer is something is wrong with your users permissions if you can't use them while they are read only.

This is my problem. If I click on any document and save it tells me It's read only. I can save that document to my desktop. Then I'm allowed to alter it. If I save the document inside the documents folder under a different name it saves it in My documents then tells me it can't save it. I can see the new saved file. If I try to delete it I can't because I don't have administrator rights. I'm the Only user on this PC and have had no problems until a few weeks ago.

 

[Alligin]

How did you move your documents folder? I am repeating Usafret

I did it on windows install from day 1 as I didn't want documents on C drive. For years I've not had a problem. Something has changed my permissions Windows update or my Anti virus Bitdefender Total Security.

 

[Alligin]

What specific steps did you take to do this?

Are you actually having issues saving to that location?

See above post USAFRet. Sorry I missed your post.

 

[Alligin]

Thanks for taking the time guys

I need to log off for now. I'll follow any advise tomorrow.

 

[rgd1101]

do you have access to the drive? not the folder but the drive.
try adding a file the drive e root.

 

[Grobe]

I did it on windows install from day 1 as I didn't want documents on C drive. For years I've not had a problem. Something has changed my permissions Windows update or my Anti virus Bitdefender Total Security.

Did this problem occur after you re-installed Windows and used the same folder as used for the old windows installation?

Well if yes, then you must take ownership of the old files - because - the user Alligin on the old windows installation (just as an example) and the user Alligin on the new installation are treated as two different users (windows doesn't care if the name happens to be identical).

 

[Alligin]

do you have access to the drive? not the folder but the drive.
try adding a file the drive e root.

I have no problem saving or deleting files from the drive. I however can't save or delete a file from the Document folder.

 

[Alligin]

I've posted 3 screen shots of the permissions of my documents folder All of the accounts have almost full control The users account is limited. If I try to change permissions of user you can see options to change are greyed out.
As mentioned above this has only happened in the last few months and was working before.
It seems as if I'm not being allowed administrator control. I'm the only user.
If I check user accounts I'm the only one and I'm administrator.
I can save files, delete files on my E drive. But I can't edit or delete files in MY Documents folder which is on the E drive. I can copy from my documents and save a file to anywhere on my PC and then edit and save it.
How can full control of the documents folder?

 

[USAFRet]

Specifically, how did you redirect this location to the E drive?

 

[Colif]

Specifically, how did you redirect this location to the E drive?

stop beating me to the questions

Did you do it like this
(note: website it used for clarity of instructions) - https://www.dummies.com/computers/o...e-the-location-of-user-folders-in-windows-10/

 

[USAFRet]

stop beating me to the questions

Well, this is not the first time for that question...

 

[Alligin]

Specifically, how did you redirect this location to the E drive?

It was 3 years ago I can't remember. But it's work fine all this time, until now. (maybe the last big windows update)
I possibly just created a folder on my E drive and called it Documents.

 

[Colif]

his is my problem. If I click on any document and save it tells me It's read only. I can save that document to my desktop. Then I'm allowed to alter it. If I save the document inside the documents folder under a different name it saves it in My documents then tells me it can't save it. I can see the new saved file. If I try to delete it I can't because I don't have administrator rights. I'm the Only user on this PC and have had no problems until a few weeks ago.

i have had this before but the fix for the problem I had doesn't work anymore as the feature that caused the problem also doesn't exist anymore. Back then it was setting up a local user group.

I found a work around is not use documents folder, it happened to me while I was doing a Diploma course and I ended up with so many duplicates. It got confusing. If you create a file in another folder it shouldn't lock access.

Its not the perfect answer, We will have to work out why it started a few weeks ago.

I possibly just created a folder on my E drive and called it Documents.

can you right click the Documents Library & check its location tab, just curious if it is relocated or not. As the problem might not be the E drive folder, as the default location is in the user folder on C

 

[Alligin]

i have had this before but the fix for the problem I had doesn't work anymore as the feature that caused the problem also doesn't exist anymore. Back then it was setting up a local user group.

I found a work around is not use documents folder, it happened to me while I was doing a Diploma course and I ended up with so many duplicates. It got confusing. If you create a file in another folder it shouldn't lock access.

Its not the perfect answer, We will have to work out why it started a few weeks ago.


can you right click the Documents Library & check its location tab, just curious if it is relocated or not. As the problem might not be the E drive folder, as the default location is in the user folder on C

E:\ My Documents.

I do have a Documents folder in C: Users But I have never used it and contains nothing.

It seems I'm locked from changing anything in a folder I created years ago.

 

[USAFRet]

To be clear, the issue seems to be you can't manipulate a doc to that particular folder?

What would I do?
Create another folder on that drive, called MyDocs.
Copy everything from that recalcitrant folder, and just ignore it. Or delete it if possible.

 

[Colif]

have a look at my answer here - https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...ments-folder-briefly-worked-but-then.3461264/

 

[Alligin]

To be clear, the issue seems to be you can't manipulate a doc to that particular folder?

What would I do?
Create another folder on that drive, called MyDocs.
Copy everything from that recalcitrant folder, and just ignore it. Or delete it if possible.

I'd thought of that Because I can copy and paste. So that would be no problem. It does leave me with a 15GB folder that is taking up space that for some reason I can't delete.
It is an option I will consider if everything else fails. It's just bloody annoying that I'm locked out of one of my folders. And only this one.

Thanks USAFRet

 

[USAFRet]

I'd thought of that Because I can copy and paste. So that would be no problem. It does leave me with a 15GB folder that is taking up space that for some reason I can't delete.
It is an option I will consider if everything else fails. It's just bloody annoying that I'm locked out of one of my folders. And only this one.

Thanks USAFRet

Once the data is safe elsewhere, can that folder be deleted?
Admin account, commandline, delete.

But HOW you created this 3 years ago may make a difference.